Ever since last year, NFL players have been dissing America protesting for racial equality and justice by kneeling during the anthem. Naturally, this never sat well with football fans who like America. Well, I have good news for you. Roger Goodell just sent out a letter telling all the players to stand.

Goodell made it clear in the letter, obtained by ESPN's Adam Schefter, that he wants players to stand during the anthem.

"Like many of our fans," Goodell wrote, "we believe that everyone should stand for the national anthem. It is an important moment in our game. We want to honor our flag and our country, and our fans expect that of us.

"We also care deeply about our players and respect their opinions and concerns about critical social issues. The controversy over the Anthem is a barrier to having honest conversations and making real progress on the underlying issues. We need to move past this controversy, and we want to do that together with our players."

I wonder if the massive backlash against the kneelers had anything to do with this?

Goodell is going to grandstand about "honoring the flag and country." Cute. Where was he a year ago when this trend started? It wasn't until America changed the channel that he did an about-face. Sponsors dropping their ads, fans burning their gear, maybe that had more to do with Goodell's change of heart than "honoring flag and our country." What he's really saying to America is "our ratings are sinking like a pontoon boat full of feminist pudgebeasts. Please come back!"

This is the magic of the free market, folks. If enough people tune out and burn their licensed NFL merchandise, things get changed. Quickly. Political statements and so-called "principles" go out the window once butts start leaving seats, dollars leaving tills.

Now, this isn't to say some players might not go against Roger Goodell and kneel anyway. If Goodell's switch is any indication, those players might be more likely to find themselves in the unemployment line with Kaepernick, instead of the Hall of Fame.

While we're on the subject: